Combined positron emission tomography-computed tomography: the historical perspective.

The 1990s witnessed the development of the first dual-modality imaging devices for clinical applications. A combined PET-CT prototype underwent clinical evaluation from mid-1998 onward. The results from the three-year evaluation program stimulated the demand for commercial designs and in 2001 the first commercial PET-CT scanner was installed in the clinic. The availability of designs from all the major vendors of medical imaging equipment was followed by a rapid adoption of the technology and today, over 2500 PET-CT scanners are in clinical operation world-wide. This article briefly summarizes the short history of PET-CT, and reviews the current status of the technology.